[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 77 (Monday, June 13, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S6348]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        ANTILYNCHING LEGISLATION

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, this past Friday, I was in Cincinnati. I had 
some business to conduct there, but my plane got in early, and I had 
some time on my hands. My staff said: Would you like to go to a new 
museum that opened in August of 2004? I said: Sure, I will be happy to. 
It is a museum that is dedicated to forcing us to remember what went on 
in the dark days of the history of this country dealing with slavery.
  The museum is done so well. You walk in, and the first thing you see 
is this large facility--big, tall--and it is a facility that was used 
in the late 1700s, 1800s for holding slaves. The upper story--using 
that term loosely--was for the men and the bottom for the women. They 
still have the shackles there, the chains that were used to hold these 
people. They have the writing on the walls used to describe what these 
human beings were worth, how much money, and for what they could be 
used.
  So it is very appropriate that I returned to Washington today since 
we are going to debate some legislation that is very pertinent.
  In this body's two centuries of history, we have done many great 
things. We sent men to the Moon, created schools for our kids, fed the 
hungry, and lent a helping hand to struggling families. But today I 
rise to speak about one of this institution's great failures--its 
shameful refusal to enact antilynching legislation in the first half of 
the 20th century.
  Today, one of the saddest chapters in our Chamber's history will come 
to a close when we apologize for the Senate's inaction. I join my 
colleagues in apologizing to the deceased victims of lynchings and 
their surviving loved ones. I pray this Chamber will never fail to see 
this injustice that was done. We must realize and understand what it 
was. It was an injustice.
  While the exact number is impossible to determine, records indicate 
that since 1882--the best records we have--4,749 individuals have died 
from lynching, men and women, mostly men, and most of them by far 
African Americans. These Americans were killed, tortured, mutilated, 
and maimed with near impunity. Most were denied due process under the 
law, and their killers rarely--very rarely--faced consequences for 
their actions, as indicated by the prayer offered today by our Chaplain 
which indicated little less than 1 percent who saw some retribution in 
the courts. The Senate's inaction helped create a culture of acceptance 
toward these heinous crimes against humanity.
  Photos from this book--``Without Sanctuary'' is the name of the 
book--a book of lynchings that occurred in America, and it is depicted 
in photographs--photographs that are so hard to accept--is the 
principal reason we are here today, this one book.
  This book shows men, women, children donning their finest clothing 
and gleefully posing in front of deceased people who had been hanged 
and, prior to being hanged, often mutilated. Even worse, many photos 
were turned into postcards, until 1908, when the Senate at least 
amended U.S. Postal Service regulations to forbid the mailing of 
lynching photographs made into postcards. Think about that.
  American history is rich with stories of heroes and heroines, as well 
as patriots, of patriotism. However, the lynching of so many Americans 
will always be a stain on our great democracy. Only after passage of 
time, only after growing pressure from civil rights organizations, only 
after over 200 antilynching bills, condemnation by foreign nations, 
petitions from seven U.S. Presidents, and outcries from the African-
American press and some mainstream publications did the occurrence of 
this horrible act decline. But this book, published in 2000, is the 
real reason we are moving today.

  It is my sincere hope that the relatives of the victims of these 
horrible acts will accept this body's sincere apology and take solace 
in the Senate finally recognizing its shortcomings.
  It is also my sincere hope that the Senate does not stop with its 
apologies. There is much more to be done. We can honor the legacy of 
these victims by continuing to confront the challenges in civil rights 
before us in enacting legislation that will protect, for example, 
voting rights and improve the lives of so many Americans.
  First, I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand 
strong in support of reauthorizing the Voting Rights Act.
  Second, disparities between African Americans and Whites in health 
care and education are still too great. I encourage this body to 
support legislation that will improve health care among African 
Americans, improve educational resources, and provide opportunities for 
African Americans in many different avenues.
  Finally, I ask the families of the victims of these terrible crimes 
to accept the Senate's apology, and I pray that my colleagues will act 
positively on upcoming legislation to honor the souls of those passed 
and that they may finally rest in peace.
  Mr. President, again, I extend my appreciation to the majority leader 
in allowing me to go before him this afternoon.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority leader.

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